CSA Adventures: Quinoa Salad

It's the season when the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) pickups become a dizzying melange of vegetables, when kale is aplenty, and when I am reminded that freshness is ticking against the length of the days. Yesterday, my refrigerator left little peeking room around piles of vegetables, and so, an intervention was needed to clear out space. The huge alien shaped kohlrabi threatened to permanently move into the fruit drawer (the veggie drawer was already overcrowded) and the daikon radishes appeared to be sporting odd growths in need of a trim. On a whim, I decided to toss the kohlrabi (peeled and diced of course), along with the daikon radish (also peeled but sliced) with some oil and salt into the oven (425 degrees) for about 45 minutes. Once that was finished, I set about assembling a salad like casserole of vegetables. And thus, this quinoa salad was born.


Ingredients
1/2 cup quinoa (mix of cream-colored and red)
1 bunch of greens (I used a mixture of curly kale and Lacinto kale)
1 carrot sliced
1 kohlrabi, peeled, diced and roasted
1 daikon radish, sliced and roasted
1 cooked beet (I prefer mine roasted)
3-4 cloves of garlic
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/s cup chopped cilantro
2-4 oz. goat cheese
1/2 lime
salt
olive oil

Cook the quinoa. Let cool to room temperature.

Add the greens, garlic, and onion to 1-2 tbs olive oil and saute until softened but still slightly crisp (should not be a pile of mush). Add the slices of carrots and saute for 1-2 minutes (the carrots should still have a crunch to them).

Toss the quinoa with the cooked greens and the rest of the vegetables and herbs. Mix together, add the goat cheese (as much as your taste buds prefer), salt to taste, 1 tsp of olive oil, and the juice of 1/2 lime.

You now have a salad with hints of summer and a definite dose of fall.